1
McNally Jackson
1
52 Prince St.
This beloved neighborhood independent bookshop offers two full floors of selections, including kids’ books and travel guides. The store also boasts a selection of cards and postcards, a cafe and a regular series of readings and events. Shoppers can also try out the Espresso Book Machine—which can create a paperback book, selected from a list of more than four million public domain titles, in minutes.
2
The Mysterious Bookshop
2
58 Warren St.
It’s no mystery why this bookstore on the border of Tribeca and the Financial District has become one of the most popular and renowned mystery specialty shops in the world: it’s a treasure trove of hardcovers, paperbacks, periodicals and more. In business since 1979, the shop has amassed an impressive collection of rare items, including signed modern first editions, old hardcovers and Sherlockania volumes. The store also has its own exclusive line of novellas and limited-edition books by well-known authors.
3
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
3
126 Crosby St.
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe is one of downtown New York's most vital cultural institutions, presenting an eclectic mix of events featuring many of today's most exciting artists. The bookstore is staffed almost entirely by volunteers, and 100% of profits go to Housing Works, Inc., which provides housing, healthcare, job training and advocacy for New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. As an independent cultural center, it offers patrons a unique opportunity to join the fight against AIDS and homelessness simply by buying or donating books; eating at the cafe; attending concerts, readings and special events; or volunteering on the staff.
4
Greenlight Bookstore
4
686 Fulton St
Co-proprietors Rebecca Fitting and Jessica Stockton Bagnulo are the masterminds behind this Fort Greene bookshop—founded after Stockton Bagnulo won the $15,000 grand prize for her business plan from the Brooklyn Public Library. While locals come for the rare finds and handsome coffee-table tomes, the shop is still hoping to find solid footing in a world of Barnes & Noble superstores, as chronicled on the store's kicky and insightful blog.
5
Three Lives & Company
5
154 West 10th Street
In a world of large companies and online book retailers, Three Lives & Company is a breath of fresh air—a true mom-and-pop shop around the corner. It touts itself as “a place with a human face and a cast of characters” and rather than feeling like a traditional big-name bookstore, the owners take pride in being that smaller, intimate-feeling space that’s one with the community. Three Lives & Company boasts a well-curated book selection, matched by a knowledgeable staff that excels in making customers feel welcome and appreciated. In addition to stopping here for books, look for events like readings and book discussions.
6
Books Are Magic
6
225 Smith St.
Novelist Emma Straub’s Cobble Hill charmer features the usual indie-bookshop amenities (trending new titles, knowledgeable staff, frequent events), plus a sizable, sunken back room primarily devoted to kid-lit. The store has become a cornerstone of the City’s literary scene, as much a neighborhood mom-and-pop as a venue for authors—up-and-coming and already famous—to launch their latest. There’s plenty here to browse, but if you’re the type who likes to be surprised, the store offers subscription services; booksellers select titles and mail them out on a monthly basis.
7
The Center for Fiction
7
15 Lafayette Ave.
Located across the street from BAM and between the Mark Morris Dance Center and Theatre for a New Audience, the Center for Fiction is part of a vibrant artistic renaissance taking place in Downtown Brooklyn. Like several of its neighbors, the Center—now an indie bookstore, lending library and café—has a venerable history. Founded in 1820 as the Mercantile Library of New York, the Center has hosted talks by the likes of Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Frederick Douglass; more recent authors to have appeared include Rivka Galchen, Edwidge Danticat and Jennifer Egan. The Center’s clean, modern design make browsing a pleasure, and the second-floor deck—when open to the public (it's currently closed, along with the outdoor terrace, members' area and library stacks—makes a fine place to enjoy purchases and a well-made cocktail.
8
Strand Book Store
8
828 Broadway
Strand Book Store, just off Union Square, has some impressive numbers: 18 miles of 2.5 million new and used books, many at big discounts off cover prices, spread over four floors. This New York treasure—open since 1927 and still run by the family who founded it—sells every kind of book imaginable, from novels to memoirs to art books to historical tomes. For the true book nerds, a rare-book collection in a connected building contains those favorite dusty first editions. There’s a smaller store location on Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side.
9
Word Up Community Bookshop
9
2113 Amsterdam Ave.
This nonprofit bookshop and arts space serves its community through readings, exhibitions, talks and other public programs. The store is multilingual, with titles—and events—in both Spanish and English, and it takes as its mission to foster education, creativity and exchange through the power of books.
10
The Lit. Bar
10
131 Alexander Avenue
Noëlle Santos runs this wine bar and bookstore in the Bronx. Learn more about Santos through this interview for All In NYC: Portraits.